Governor



Patented May 26, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER D. H. BENTLEY, OF RO'SLINDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO B. F. STURTE- I VANT COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- SETTS.

GOVERNOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER D. I-I,-*BENT- LEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roslindale, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Governors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to governors for regulating the speed of prime movers and is more particularly designed for use on steam engines.

The sensitiveness and efficiency of govern ors has heretofore been limited, to a considerable extent, because of the necessary employment of a steam-tight bearingor stuffing-box between the governor and the steam valve, through which the alve stem or spin- .dle, actuated by the governor, must pass to enter the valve. This valve spindle moves longitudinally through the bearing or stuffing-box, under the influence of the governor, to control the flow of steam through the valve. The resulting friction retards the movements of the valve spindle, and lessens the sensitivcnegs of the governor. 'A stuffing-box or other steam-tight bearing is necessary, of course, to prevent the leakage of steam from the valve, and particularly in high speed engines, where the steam presr be tightly packed, the resistance to the movements of the valve spindle is a serious difficulty.

The general efficiency of governors as heretofore constructed has also been lessened by friction and lost motion resulting from the employment of a series of links,,,levers or other connections between the centrifugal members and the valve spindle while constant attention has been required to keep such connections continually lubricated.

One of; the objects of the present invention is to eliminate, so far as possible, the frictional resistance of the valve spindle to longitudinal movement and thus to render the governor more sensitive to slight changes of speed. To this end, one feature of the invention contemplates the imparting of retary movement to the valve spindle, thereby greatly reducing the frictional resistance in 'of the governor mechanism.

sure is very high and the stuffing-box must Serial No. 244,160.

the bearing to the longitudinal movement of ernor, of centrifugal members mounted to act directly on the valve stem or spindle to impart longitudinal movement thereto.

Other features consist in the forming of the valve body as an integral part of the governor casing, and in certain other combinations and arrangements of parts tending to improve and simplify the construction of governors and render them better adapted to operate at high speed.

The drawing shows in longitudinal sectional view a governor embodying what is now considered to be a preferred form of the invention. A portion of the rotor shaft of a turbine engine is indicated at'S, journaled in a ball bearing B supported by the side plate P of the engine casing. Threaded on to the outer end of the rotor shaft and held fast thereon by set screws is the governor frame 3 which carries the several parts Centrifugal members 4, of which there may be two or more within the governor frame, are spaced outwardly about a central valve spindle 5, and are maintained in operative engagement with a head 6 fixed to the inner end of said valve spindle. The valve spindle is co-axial with the rotor shaft and is slidably mounted in the hub 7 projecting inwardly from the adjustable sleeve 8 mounted in the outer end ofthe governor frame, and rotating therewith. The outer end of the valve splndle 5'extends through a stuiiing box 9 into steam chambers 10 and 11 formed in the housing 12 which encloses the governor mechanism, and is secured by bolts 13 to the plate T. The chamber 10 which receives steam from the boiler is partially surrounded by the chamber 11 from which steam is delivered to the engine but is separated therefrom by a web l t integral with with the valve spindle 5, which is adapted to cooperate with the said passages to regulate the flow of steam from the chamber 10 through said passages 15 and 16 into the chamber 11 and thence to the engine. The valve spindle 5 is of slightly less diameter than the passages 15 and 16 so as to provide a loose sliding fit. The spindle, adjacent its end, is of reduced diameter, thus providing a balanced valve construction and rendering the mechanism more sensitive. Leakage from the steam chamber 16 along the valve spindle 5 is prevented by the stuffing box 9 comprising the packing 17 compressed by the follower 18.

' A spring 19 surrounds the hub 7 of the adjustable sleeve 8 carried by the governor frame and is interposed between the bottom of a recess 20 in the sleeve 8 and the head 6, on the valve spindle, and acts upon said valve spindle head to move the valve spindle so as to increase the supply. of steam to the engine, resisting the action of the centrifugal members which act to move the valve spindle in the opposite direction to diminish the supply of steam. The centrifugal members 4 are in the shape of bell crank levers having knife, edges 21 fulcrumed on the inopen end of the terior of the governor frame.

The longer arms 22 of the centrifugal members correspond to the weights in the usual form of governor and the shorter.

curved arms 23, which project inwardly to engage the valve spindle, have rounded ends 24 which roll smoothly over the surface 25 of the head as the centrifugal members swing The sleeve 8 is screw-threaded into the governor frame and is provided with a head 26 adapted to be engaged by a wrench for the purpose of adjusting the sleeve. By means of such adjustment the compression of spring 19 may be varied to maintain the speed of the 'governor at the desired number of revolutions per minute.

It will be observed that the head 6 fixed on theinner end of the valve: spindle 5rotates with the governor frame; .being held between the rotatlng centrifgual members 4 on one side and the spring 19 mounted in the rotating sleeve 8' on the other. Rotation is thus lmparted to the valve spindle 5 which is thereby rendered extremely sensitive, mov-' ing freely longitudinally through the stuffmg box upon the slightest variatlon in speed,

notwithstanding the ti ht fit of the packing around the spindle. Swing to the absence of all links and levers between the centrifugal members and \the valve stem, opporfunity for wear and lost motion is avoided and thepermanent sensitiveness of the device is assured.

It is preferred to provide felt packing rings on both sides of the bearing B as follows: a rim 27 to engage the rotor shaft on the inner slde of the plate P and another ring 28 to engage the hub 'of the governor head so as to preventleakage of oil or grease from the bearing, or the entrance of dust.

The parts of the governor herein described are compactly arranged within a a single type of engine, itis to be understood that such is' not the only embodiment of which the invention is capable, nor is the invention necessarily limited in its applicatior1 to engines utihzing'steam as 'a motive fiui Having thus described my invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a governor, the combination with a driven shaft and a support in which the shaft is journaled, of a throttling valve mounted on the support and through which a fluid flows continuously, mounted for longitudinal movement to vary the fiow of fluid through the valve, and speed-controlled mechanism connecting the shaft and the spindle for actuating the valve spindle longitudinally and for continuously rotating the spindle to reduce the frictional resistance to longitudinal movement, such rotational movement being Without effect upon the flow of the fiuid through the valve. 'r' 2. In a governor, the combination with a driven .shaft and a sup ort in which the shaft is journaled, of a housing secured to the support, a throttling valve carried at the outer end of the 'houslng, a valve spindle mounted for longitudinal sliding movement, a :Stllfiillg box ,through which the spindle passes, and speed. controlled mechanism located within the housing having positive connection with the shaft and frictional connection with the spindle for'imparting longitudinal movement to the valve spindle,

a valve spindle and for continuously rotating. the valve gpindle' to reduce the frictional resistance of e stufling box to longitudinal movement of the spindle therethrough.-

3. a governor, the combination with a driven shaft and a shaft is journaled, o the support, a throttling valve carried at the outer end ofthe housing and having loosely fitting steam controlling members, a valve spindle mounted for rotary and longitudinal sliding movements within the housing and carrying one of the valve members, a stufiing box through which the valve spindle extends, and speed-controlled mechanism enclosed within the housing and connecting the shaft and spindle for imparting longitudinal sliding movement to the valve spindle to control the flow of a fluid through the valve and for rotating the valve spindle to reduce frictional resistance to its longitudinal movement through the stuffing box.

l. In a governor, the combination with a driven shaft and a support in which the shaft isjonrnaled, of a housing secured to the support having a valve chamber at its outer end, a valve, a valve spindle entering the valve chamber for controllingthe flow of the fluid through the valve, and speedcontrolled mechanism enclosed withinthe housing for actuating the valve spindle, the housing being removable without disturbing the speed-controlled mechanism and its connections.

5. In a governor mechanism, the combination of a spindle and a balanced valve carried thereby, a valve chamber, a steam tight bearing for the spindle in the wall of the valve chamber, a driven shaft in alignment with the spindle, and speed controlled mechanism mounted upontheshaft and loing and for moving it longitudinally to vary cated between the shaft and the valve chamber for rotating the spindle continuously to reduce the frictional resistance of the bearthe position of the valve.

' 6. In a governor mechanism the combination of a rotating'shaft, a stationary frame having bearings for said shaft, a frame sccured on the end of said shaft and rotating therewith, eentrifugally operated members secured to said first frame and surrounding said centrifugal members, said housing hav ing a passage in line with said shaft, a valve member rotating coaxially with said shaft and adapted to be moved axially of the shaft by said centrifugal members to regulate the flow of fluid through said passage, and a coiled spring coaxially arranged with said shaft and opposing the action of said centri t'u gal members.

7. In a governor, the combination with a driven shaft of a balanced throttling valve mounted in axial alignment with the shaft, a spindle integral with the valve and mounted for longitudinal movement therewith, and speed controlled mechanism carried by the shaft and acting directly on the spindle for rotating the spindle and valve and moving the same longitudinally.

8. In a governor, the combination with acasing and a driven shaft having its end projecting through the casing, of speed controlled mechanism mounted upon the end of the shaft including a spindle and balanced valve mounted in alignment with the shaft, and a housing mounted at one end upon the casing and enclosing the speed controlled mechanism and carrying at its outer end a valve chamber for the balanced valve.

OLIVER D. H. BENTLEY. 

